CPhI Podcast Series

Welcome to this special on-site episode of our podcast, recorded live at CPHI Frankfurt 2025, the premier global event for the pharmaceutical industry. In this episode, Editor Vivian Xie speaks to Sabine Kapasi, global health strategist, entrepreneur, and CEO of Enira Consulting. This year’s gathering brought together thought leaders, innovators, and policymakers to discuss the most pressing issues and transformative trends shaping the future of healthcare, the following episode encapsulates the key themes that were discussed at CPHI Frankfurt.

In this insightful episode, host Lucy Chard is joined by Aurelio Arias from IQVIA to explore the transformative role of GLP-1 therapies in clinical obesity treatment and the technological advancements driving their success. Aurelio delves into how these medications are revolutionising care, offering hope to millions worldwide. A key focus is the upcoming patent expiry of semaglutide in 2026, which could significantly impact affordability and global access, sparking discussions on equitable distribution.

In this episode, host Lucy Chard and guest David Staunton of Cognizant dive into the transformative role of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, exploring advancements that are reshaping manufacturing, packaging, and distribution. From the rise of "smart factories" to the seamless integration of AI across specialised production processes, we discuss how technology is accelerating innovation and what the future holds for pharma in the next decade.

In the latest episode Lucy Chard engages in a compelling conversation with Dr Lengwe Sinkala, a seasoned clinician and Human Factors and User Experience Consultant at ClariMed. The discussion delves into the disparities in global access to medical devices, highlighting the stark differences between developed and developing regions. Tune in to the CPHI Podcast Series to hear Dr Sinkala’s inspiring insights and explore how we can collectively work towards a more equitable healthcare landscape. 

In this key episode, Digital Editor Lucy Chard is joined by Dr Molly Klote, former Director of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Human Research Protections. Molly sheds some light on the policy changes we have witnessed over the past few years in the US, including the latest executive orders regarding the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy whereby the US government aims to slash drug prices to match those of other developed countries.

This episode covers how the pharmaceutical industry can work towards better meeting the needs of an underserved population. Rare diseases are often overlooked by pharmaceutical companies when developing drugs as the process is time consuming, expensive, and only serves a niche market. But the patients suffering from rare diseases still deserve to have the best opportunity for life changing medicine. Dea Belazi from AscellaHealth discusses the challenges in this field, and the exciting paths into the future.

In this podcast Christine Furst, Senior Director Key Account Management Europe from Vetter joins host Lucy Chard to discuss the relationship between pharma companies and CDMOs and the impacts this relationship has on a business’s vision for the future.Taking into consideration that although the practical and technical aspects have to line up, more and more partnerships are placing value in the corporations seeing ‘eye to eye’ because they want the relationship to grow and flourish. We touch on the importance of people, sustainability and values aligning for building successful partnerships.

This month's podcast episode sounds a little different, covering the latest event in Paris - Pharmapack 2025. Digital Editor Lucy Chard speaks to several experts direct from the floor of the show, bringing you right in on the action. In this special episode we hear from experts Tom Etheridge from Team Consulting, Lizzie Smith from Anthesis Group, Asmita Khanolkar from SMC Ltd, and our very own Sherma Ellis Daal from Informa Markets to give a few different perspectives on some aspects of the event and the industry as a whole.

In this episode, Evonne Brennan joined host Lucy Chard for a chat about the complex world of excipients. Excipients is an ever changing field that involves a lot of moving parts and in the following episode Evonne gave an insight into some of these aspects. The podcast covers the security of the excipient supply chain and how this can influence issues such as drug pricing and drug shortages. Brennan highlights how important communication and collaboration is in this field for education and for pushing to find the next target for progress, that ultimately will make the lives of patients better.

In this episode Lucy Chard is joined by Rajiv Khatau to discuss the importance of looking into new therapeutic areas and some of the more niche areas of pharmaceuticals, discussing innovations and the potential for shaping the future of pharma on a global scale. In particular, and in light of the lead up to the inaugural CPHI Middle East in December 2024, Rajiv shares his expertise on the Middles East market and comments on why this region is so well suited to pushing the boundaries and becoming a leader in areas of biotech, genomics, and other public health fields.

In the latest episode Lucy Chard is joined by Thomas Cornell from Abzena to discuss protein engineering for drug design and development. Tom gives an insight into the world of protein engineering, how it’s an invaluable tool for improving the stability, functionality, and applicability for drug products. He comments on some aspects of the field that are particularly exciting at the minute, discussing some of the key aspects of antibody drugs, the potential for bispecifics in improving functionality, but also considering the parts such as genomics for creating a wider knowledge base, and in the future using computational design and AI to develop drugs more safely.

Lucy Chard, Digital Editor for CPHI Online discusses womens’ health, and more specifically about women’s representation in clinical trials and the associated ripple effects with Emma Banks, CEO of Ramarketing. The podcast highlights the social and medical implications and bias’ that lead to disparity and the complexities around this.Also covered is the need for solutions in combatting bias, such as by using tools including education and technology, and cross-sector collaboration. Banks highlighted how important it is to acknowledge the differences and work with them to change the lived mindset and make safer, more effective medicines.

In this episode we’re focusing on some of the work from one of our valued partners at CPHI, the PSCI. The PSCI have recently published the results from their audits and to talk us through these Digital Editor Lucy Chard is joined by Birgit Skuballa. Skuballa represents Bayer in the PSCI as Chair of the PSCI Audit Committee, and gives us a information on how these audits work, the different pillars across the pharmaceutical industry that the audits address, how this changes regionally, and importantly, how the PSCI work with their members afterwards to improve their practices.

On this episode of the podcast I’m joined my marketing specialist and entrepreneur, Raman Sehgal. Sehgal is the founder of several companies, including life science marketing company Ramarketing. In this podcast Raman and I discuss the different ways marketing can help companies in achieving their goals, whether it’s in how to go about finding the right partner, creating the right messaging around a companies’ ESG values, or how to attract talent. We also go on to talk about the future of digital marketing, especially the increased use of AI in today’s world, how much this has changed everyday practices already, and the scope of what is to come.

Daniel Mora-Brito joins Lucy Chard to discuss the health landscape in the African continent, covering some of the greatest threats seen there over the years and that are still impacting people’s lives on a daily basis, helping to drive home the importance of improved, localised healthcare in the continent. Lucy and Daniel talk about the economic factors that underpin a lot of the transformations across the region, from the perspective of those on home turf and the companies from different regions looking to invest and expand into this space. Daniel mentions the different actors in the region and what expanding capacities in Africa will mean for patient access in a rapidly expanding population.

This podcast episode aims to explain the importance and intricacies of developing excipients and then goes into more depth regarding the excipient market, how this differs globally, what tactics different companies are now using to gain ground and push the field forward to be able to develop more innovative drug delivery systems. Digital Editor Lucy Chard is joined by Nick DiFranco, MEM, the Global Market Manager for Novel Pharmaceutical Excipients at Lubrizol Life Science. Lubrizol is a pioneer in the novel excipient development space so DiFranco can give a deep level of insight into the field as it stands, some of the innovative products they’re developing at Lubrizol, and the trends to look out for the in future.

Welcome to the last episode of 2023! Digital Editor Lucy Chard is joined by her team in a special retrospective episode to close out the year. Guests Vivian Xie, Editor for CPHI Online and Tara Dougal, Content Director for Pharma, discuss their highlights from the year; diversity, sustainability, and the CPHI Barcelona event cropping up as top features. The Women in Pharma series that Vivian has worked on for the past year has been a resounding success, some of our most impactful content on CPHI Online, which, as arguably some of our most important content we are so pleased to see that reflected with our audience. We also cover sustainability, drug approvals, Alzheimer's research, mRNA oncology vaccines, and digital marketing for pharma companies.To see more about everything we mentioned in the podcast, see the links below:Women in Pharma Interviews Women in Pharma: Advancing gender diversity & healthcare equality - https://www.cphi-online.com/women-in-pharma-advancing-gender-diversity-news121441.htmlWomen in Pharma: Empowering yourself and other women in pharma - https://www.cphi-online.com/women-in-pharma-empowering-yourself-and-other-news122294.htmlSustainability CPHI Sustainability Trend Report 2023: Towards a Greener Future - https://www.cphi-online.com/cphi-sustainability-trend-report-2023-towards-a-news121332.htmlCPHI Podcast Series: An insight into the Chief Sustainability Officer - https://www.cphi-online.com/cphi-podcast-series-an-insight-into-the-chief-news120741.htmlCPHI Podcast Series: Sustainable Strategies in the Pharmaceutical Packaging Industry - https://www.cphi-online.com/cphi-podcast-series-sustainable-strategies-in-the-news119779.htmlTop ContentYour Prescription for Marketing Success: Digital Pharma Marketing Toolkit – Free eBook - https://www.cphi-online.com/your-prescription-for-marketing-success-digital-news121086.html10 Major Drug Approvals So Far in 2023 - https://www.cphi-online.com/10-major-drug-approvals-so-far-in-2023-news121294.htmlCPHI Podcast Series: Exploring neurological frontiers in Alzheimer's and beyond - https://www.cphi-online.com/cphi-podcast-series-exploring-neurological-news122273.htmlThe CPO Starter Pack: Why and When to Bring in a Contract Packaging Partner - https://www.cphi-online.com/the-cpo-starter-pack-why-and-when-to-bring-in-a-news120889.htmlAshwagandha and Herbal Medicines: Pharma’s Next Big Opportunity - a...

In this special post-CPHI Barcelona episode, host Lucy Chard speaks to Matthew Wise from CCD Partners about the Start-up Market held at the event. In this podcast they speak about the event, which for the first time held a specific area for Start-up companies, something that is particularly applicable to the Catalan region as a leading area for innovation in pharma and healthcare, they also talk about discuss what this start-up market means for the companies, as well as for investors and potential partners, and for the future of pharma innovation.

This episode covers the recent changes in legislature around drug pricing in the USA, and what this means for the global pharma market, as well as the impact it will have on the US population in terms of access to medicine. The price negotiations with Medicare are targeting medications used in the treatment of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We will take a look at what this means for people with chronic disease, and conversely the impact on the individual pharma companies and then more widely, on innovation in the industry.

Digital Editor for CPHI Online, Lucy Chard, is joined by Alan Palmer of Elixa MediScience to talk about neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and everything that is encompassed under this terminology, spanning the history of disease, the social impacts, the different modalities and developments in therapeutics, and what the future of research into care in this field holds.